He brought it in, and it was already more than a friendly pat-on-the-back hug, it was being held. Three seconds. Four seconds. She took in his smell, and it warmed her, the olfactory equivalent of a sip of hot chocolate.

He pulled away, keeping his hands on her shoulders. “Let’s go get dinner.”

“It’s only three o’clock.”

“By the time we sit through rush hour traffic and get back to the OC, it’ll be dinnertime. So what do you say? Can I get you dinner?”

“Where were you thinking?”

“Puis-je suggérer,” he said, with a conniving smile, “l’usine de gâteau au fromage?”

Fri, Feb 8, 2008 at 3:52 PM

From: Alejandro Miranda Vasquez <[email protected]>

To: Nils Ortega <[email protected]>

Subject: Re: Hot Seat interview

Nils,

Wanted to shoot you an update on the debate with Cora, and I thought you should know, Kaveh Mazenderani was with her acting as “moral support,” in his words. It was pretty obvious who was pulling the strings, though— Cora obviously did not want to be there, poor kid. I knew he was an anti–Third Option zealot, but I didn’t think he’d be so scummy as to get a kid to do his dirty work for him.

Jano

• • • • •

Fri, Feb 8, 2008 at 9:21 PM

From: Nils Ortega <[email protected]>

To: Alejandro Miranda Vasquez <[email protected]>

Subject: Re: Hot Seat interview

Jano,

I’m less concerned about Kaveh than I am Cora— if, as you said, she’s just acting as Kaveh’s proxy, that’s not a huge concern. But if she keeps going down this road— taking interviews, talking to journalists, etc.— the issue of her father is going to come up pretty soon, and that could cause a PR problem for us. Ironically, it was thanks to Kaveh that I was able to sway public opinion to my side where the family issue was concerned, and I’ve made good inroads with my son, Felix. But Cora could easily create some bad press for me by casting me as the absent father who heartlessly abandoned the family.

Nils

• • • • •

Fri, Feb 8, 2008 at 10:48 PM

From: Alejandro Miranda Vasquez <[email protected]>

To: Nils Ortega <[email protected]>

Subject: Re: Hot Seat interview

Nils,

I hear you, and I think we should be thinking with a mind to how to narrativize them if they become a problem. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I definitely got some crazy vibes from Cora. I don’t think it would be difficult at all to paint a picture of her as unstable and delusional, and of Kaveh as a predatory manipulator who’s taking advantage of a girl young enough to be his daughter. I don’t have anything on them per se right now, but I have plenty of connections in local law enforcement. I’ll have them sniff around and keep an eye on both of them.

Jano

• • • • •

Fri, Feb 8, 2008 at 11:52 PM